Well, now everyone has gotten their wish, Kevin Gausman will be starting this Thursday in Toronto in black and orange. It’s the O’s version of “must see TV”.
I have to admit I was caught a little off guard by this move, considering less than a week ago he wasn’t an option for last Saturday’s game against the Rays. The O’s promosted Jair Jurrjens instead, and he has since been sent back down.
Maybe it is the opponent that made him an option this time around. The Jays do hit the long ball, a lot, but they also swing and miss a lot (currently #9 in the AL in strikeouts). And with a guy with three out pitches, a swing and miss team is exactly what a rookie making his Big League debut would need. I certainly wouldn’t start any rookie against the Yankees or the Red Sox, if I could avoid it, not for the first start anyway.
It also could be that they just couldn’t keep their hands out of the cookie jar any longer. Top pitching prospects can sometimes be too tempting to keep down on the farm. And with Wei-Yin Chen being out, and Jason Hammel struggling with his control, maybe the staff needs a shot in the arm just like Nate McLouth gave all of us last night walking off the Yankees (although I highly doubt Duquette was waiting on a walk-off to bring Gausman up).
Whatever their reasoning for the move is, as of tonight’s game Kevin Gausman will be a member of the Orioles. And it will be “must see TV” for Oriole fans. So that brings up a second point, why start him on the road? Dylan Bundy made his MLB debut on the road – granted that was out of the bullpen – but it was in Boston. Is debuting your prized rookie pitcher on the road the “by the book” method now? Remembering back to the hysteria surrounding Matt Wieters debut a few years ago, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if that wasn’t a contributing factor in where Bundy and Gausman made their MLB debut.
Whatever happens this Thursday let’s hope the kid gives a good five innings, keeps us in the game, and we come out with a win. After losing six in a row we could use a winning streak right about now.
Let’s try to refrain from building his statue…at least for the next dozen years or so.
